Sly Cooper: The Moments that Define Us
by SilentPony
Summary: This is just an idea I had while playing through Sly 3 over the weekend. If people like it I'll happily do more. If not, enjoy this as a one-shot that can take place at any point in the Cooper timeline. Sly/Carmelita Rated M just in case I do more with other, potential, chapters. Nothing in the first chapter, mind you.


_This is just a little one-shot I thought of while playing through Sly Cooper 3. Hoping to play through Cooper 4 at some point soon and come up with a few more ideas._

 _Always wondered if there were other adventures Sly and Carmelita had when not in the games. There must be!_

 _Let me know if you want me to follow up with a few more one-shots or two chapter stories._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the characters, ideas, settings or themes therein._

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"Constable Chu Ci, on behalf of Interpol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I am proud to award you with your Inspector's badge." Chief Inspector Barkley said dramatically. Despite his awkwardness at actually congratulating one of his team, he managed to sell the words well enough. The entire department stood watching and Barkley wiped sweat from his brow.

"Thank you, sir!" Chu Ci responded professionally.

"Congratulations, Inspector Ci." Barkley said with a firm handshake. Carmelita Fox was the first to begin clapping as Ci awkwardly waved and mouthed 'thank you' to the other officers.

"And-and…" Barkley tried to calm the officers down, "In conjunction with the FBI and the Fontaine Estate, Interpol is proud to award you the full bounty for the capture the Tarantula and the rescue of Elizabeth Fontaine. " Barkley produced a check from his jacket pocket, "€20,000."

At this Chu Ci, the moon-pale rabbit and rookie for the Interpol Paris office nearly burst out crying. But true to form for an international police officer, Chu Ci managed to compose herself and smile gratefully, eyes glistening.

Another rabbit stepped forward from the crowd and embraced her. They kissed passionately and the officers were kind enough to glance elsewhere or meander out of the room towards the inevitable cake and wine in the break room. Carmelita however stepped closer but remained a respectable distance away. After a moment the two rabbits pulled away and Ci locked eyes with Carmelita.

They smiled silently for a long moment before Ci flung her arms around the fox and practically squeezed the life out of her.

"I'm so proud of you" Carmelita managed though it took considerable effort. Ci finally released her, leaving Carmelita to take several deep breaths.

"It was all thanks to the skills you've taught me." The rabbit replied.

"No, this one was all you Chu. You have great instincts." Carmelita said as the male rabbit walked over and put a hand around Ci's shoulder.

"She's right, babe." He said with a thick accent, "You were born to do this."

"Thanks honey." Ci placed a quick kiss on his lips. The sound of laughter and glasses clinking together echoed down the hallway from the break room. Ci gave her husband a serious look, "Marcus I need you to be a hero right now. Go rescue me a slice cake from that mob."

"On it." He said with a smirk before quickly leaving.

The two stood there for a few moments, Ci absently playing with her new badge.

"Inspector." Carmelita said after a moment, earning a smile from the rabbit, "Inspector Chu Ci. Has a nice ring to it, no?"

"It does sound nice." Chu Ci stared at the badge for a long moment, thoughts lost and distant.

"Come on, there's a party going on." Carmelita normally wasn't one for such events, but today was special for her friend so she made an exception. "Back on the job tomorrow though; gotta' keep those instincts sharp, no?"

"Well it wasn't all instincts, you know." Ci said after a moment. Carmelita raised an eyebrow and the rabbit glanced over her shoulder before leaning closer as if afraid someone was going to hear, "I got a tip."

"A tip?"

"Someone called in, saying they thought they saw a cat that looked like Ms. Fontaine at the abandoned car factory on the other side of town." Ci walked over to her desk and sat as she rummaged around in her top drawer. She pulled out a notepad and flipped to the most recent page, "Orange fur with black spots, red dress, roughly 50 kilos and one and a half meters tall, though that was speculative because of the distance."

"Lot of Bengal cats in France match that description, Chu." Carmelita frowned.

"That's what I said, but there were a few details that stuck with me." Ci smiled proudly and pointed to a specific line, "He said he thought he saw butterfly earrings."

Carmelita's eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she thought. Then she snapped her fingers loudly.

"The Fontaine family crest has a butterfly in it." She grinned and Ci grinned back.

"Exactly!" Ci closed her notepad then shrugged, "Wasn't a lot, but it was a lead and I just…went for it."

"Still sounds like great instincts to me." Carmelita said, earning a bashful smile from the rabbit, "He say anything else?"

"Only that it looked like a window had been left unlocked." Ci said absently. Carmelita was pulled up short for a moment.

"In your report…you infiltrated the premise from the third-story fire escape." She said at length. According to the report, Chu Ci had climbed into the factory's third story and slowly made her way to the basement where the dreaded Tarantula had been preparing to murder his eighth victim here in France. He had been wanted for a further thirteen in the United States and two more in Great Britain committed over the last nine months. Though it would be more acurate to call him a serial killer because of how long he evaded capture and waited between killings, once he started in a new country the Tarantula murdered quickly. And he would have claimed another victim, the daughter of a rich socialite, were it not for the bravery of Chu Ci.

"Lucky he saw that, huh?" The rabbit said with a relieved chuckle, "Or rather lucky the Tarantula overlooked that."

"Well it was excellent police work, Chu. You earned that Inspector badge." Carmelita put her hand on her ex-protge's shoulder and squeezed. Ci smiled, but it a sad thing and Carmelita frowned.

"To be honest, and don't tell the Chief this, I actually just wanted the bounty." Ci whispered but quickly added, "Well and to see justice served of course, but the badge and promotion weren't really on my mind."

"Still thinking of having that procedure done?" Carmelita dared, know it was a touchy subject for Ci.

"You kidding?!" Ci laughed, surprising Carmelita with the determined look in her eyes. Ci produced the check from her inside jacket pocket and flicked it, as if making sure it was real, "I'm depositing this bad boy tomorrow and heading to the clinic first thing Monday morning."

"Want me to go with you?" The fox offered. Ci shook her head and stood.

"No, I want this to just be Marcus and I." There was hopeful hesitation in her voice and Ci smiled softly, as if barely daring to hope, "This could be it, Carm. I could actually be pregnant by this time next week." She let out a deep breath and steadied herself on her desk, the thought overwhelming her, "Feeling a little light headed."

"Come on, Chu." Carmelita patted her reassuringly on the shoulder, "There's a cake and a glass of wine with your name on it in the break room. Everything else can wait until tomorrow" She laughed and poked the rabbit in the stomach, "Drink your fill while you still can, no?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Inspector Fox. Lead on."

"No. This time I'll follow your lead, Inspector Ci."

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Later that night, after all the cake was gone and most of the wine was drunk, Carmelita wondered up to the roof of Interpol's Paris headquarters. It was a tall building and she was greeted by a breathtaking view of the City of Love at night. It always made her smile that this was her home and her heart surge with pride at it was her's to protect.

She had had a few more glasses of wine than she intended and her thoughts were a little clouded. But the night's cool air cleared her head well enough and she took a moment to close her eyes and just enjoy the peace.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled and a familiar scent hit her nose. At first she tensed, hand drifting to the empty holster at her hip. The shock pistol was in the armory for the night. She let out a deep sigh, resigned, and relaxed her muscles.

 _Great…just the man she wanted to see when she was tipsy._

"So, any big weekend plans?" The voice cut through the cool darkness. Carmelita didn't even bother looking over her shoulder lest the shadowy figure see the biting smirk on her lips. _Keep it together girl…_

"I was planning to work straight through to Monday." She heard his soft footsteps as he drew near, but stopped a few meters away. He was letting her dictate how close he was allowed. She appreciated that. After a moment she turned to face him, smoothly brushing hair from her face and leaning against the railing. Her jacket opened a little and her bare shoulder was clear to see. She bit back a smile when the figure's gaze rested on her shoulder and lingered longer than was appropriate. "Big case, the Fontaine kidnapping."

"That sounds miserable." The figure hesitated, unsure if he could approach. She nodded her approval and he stepped closer.

Sly Cooper smiled his charming debonair smile. Carmelita felt her heart flutter and had to look away. Sly rested his elbows on the railing next to her, staring out into the glittery jewel of Paris at night.

"As it stands I suddenly find myself with free time on my paws." She said with obvious relief. Sly chuckled softly, low and deep. Carmelita fought back a shudder; no man's laughter should be that perfect. It was a like a Siren's call. Only instead of a Greek monster, it was a thieving, conniving handsome and tantalizing raccoon.

"Well if you want I can go steal something." Sly said with a casual wave of his hand. Carmelita glared at him, lips drawn tight. "We can have a tense standoff on a roof somewhere and I can make a comment about your figure and its appealing curves." He motioned to her skirt and tank top with a smoldering look in his eyes. Carmelita blushed and folded her hands over her chest. Part of her wanted to slap him so hard his grandkids felt it; another part wanted to see just how hot that smoldering look could get. "Maybe even let you chase me for a few blocks afterwards."

"As much as I _appreciate_ the offer, culo" She said slowly, making sure she didn't accidentally accept his offer on the off chance he was feeling bold and _touchy_ tonight, "and your thinly veiled comments on my body, I wouldn't mind relaxing for a few days."

"Well good." Sly said a little too quickly for her liking. Didn't he want to press his luck? See how far his hands could go before she broke them? "I actually don't have any plans to steal anything anyway." That smoldering look never left his eyes. She wondered what he did have plans for.

"That's a first." She hadn't meant it as snotty as it sounded. Sly just shrugged the comment off, obviously in no more a mood for their routine cops vs robbers argument than she was.

"Well I knew all of Interpol's resources were dedicated to the Tarantula case." His face darkened, eyes narrowing. Despite his lawless lifestyle, Carmelita knew Sly loathed violent criminals as much as she did. And a spree murderer on the loose in France was just as much a threat to him and his friends as anybody. "Didn't seem fair to pull a big heist if there was no chance of running into a certain sultry vixen I know."

It was a twisted sense of honor, but one Carmelita appreciated none-the-less. Interpol and the Police Prefecture had been stretched thin. Carmelita doubted anyone would have noticed a low-level heist anytime during the past month and a half.

"I guess I owe you." She deadpanned, finally turning away from him and glancing out into the night. Paris seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief. Sly came to stand next to her, so close their hips were almost touching. To Carmelita's annoyance, they never did.

The two stood there for a long while, enjoying the night and their silent company. Even in their stolen moments together things were rarely this peaceful. Usually when they had time to be alone together it was on their way to a world-threatening mad scientist's lab or in the back of a police helicopter. They almost never were at peace, able to just be close and comfortable.

To be, for a brief moment in time, a man and woman hopelessly drawn to one another. For this brief moment Carmelita allowed herself to live the allusion of peace. Of being together with Sly Cooper.

"You did good work, Carm."Sly whispered after several long, peaceful moments. He turned to face her and she was surprised at how serious his eyes were. Carmelita blinked; he was being sincere and open in a way she rarely saw, "All of you." He nodded towards the other officers coming and going in the parking lot. Carmelita was grateful Interpol's office was too large for anyone on the ground to see the roof.

"Thanks ringtail." She surprised both of them by taking his hand and squeezing softly. Sly stiffened for just a moment before a grin plastered his handsome face and his thumb slowly-distractingly slowly at that-began to trace lazy circles on her paw. "I'm just glad we got that bastard before he hurt Ms. Fontaine."

She shivered in disgust and felt Sly's grip tighten. True to his namesake the Tarantula had been a vicious killer, slicing his victim's wrists and neck and leaving them strung up as if in a spider's web. His calling card – though Carmelita felt dirty just thinking that Sly and Tarantula could ever have something in common like that – had been to smear a spider on the wall in his victim's blood.

The sheer brutality of the crime was only matched by its horror. The cuts were never in anger, never jagged and emotional. They were clean, delicate, and precise. Something a doctor could do with a scalpel, not a deranged drooling psychopath with a hatchet.

Sly leaned closer, finally letting their bodies touch. Carmelita leaned into his shoulder and let his hot breath wash down her neck.

"You got him Carm." He said softly, "All of you, with honest police work. France is safe."

"It feels good, ringtail. " She smiled sadly, "No offense but it feels better than taking you in ever would. "

"I do believe you just implied I'm not as dangerous or despicable as a spree killer. So no offense taken at all, Inspector." They both smiled at one another. Their faces drifted a little closer, but Sly was the first to turn away. Carmelita had to suppress a growl and squeezed his hand in a vice grip and enjoyed the twitch of his eye from pain.

"And pass on my regards to Inspector Ci." Sly's voice had the barest hint of discomfort before Carmelita released her grip, "She's a true credit to Interpol and the good work you people do, hunting **me** down notwithstanding."

Carmelita rolled her eyes but nodded several times.

"She really is the hero of the hour, isn't she?" They returned to looking out on Paris and neither objected to their hands still laced together loosely but firmly.

"The Newspapers are having a field day covering her. Rumor is she's going to be getting some sort of award at Interpol headquarters, banquet in her honor and all."

Carmelita had been the one to hand-deliver the invitation. She smiled, enjoying the success her protégé was enjoying. Sure she would have loved to take the Tarantula down herself, but the job was done and all had ended well. Some days, that was good enough.

"Bringing down one of the biggest spree killers of the past decade will do that." She tried and failed to keep the pride from her voice. Cooper smirked at her obvious joy. "Not to mention rescuing a high-profile woman like Elizabeth Fontaine."

"I expect nothing less from your protégé, dear." He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Carmelita blushed and part of her willed him to just lick her fingers until she couldn't see straight.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Cooper." She said when her tongue finally decided to do something other than pant with lust.

"Shame that, isn't it?" He planted another kiss and a thrill went up her spine and down to between her hips, "There are so many _places_ we could go."

"Don't push your luck, ringtail." She breathed, hoping he would.

"Now where would be the fun in that?" He glanced down at her lips and for one long agonizing beautiful moment Carmelita was convinced he was going to take her, then and there, in every dirty and passionate way she imagined. She could see it in his eyes, that barely contained lust they both strained to release.

But Sly gulped hard and finally looked away, sweat dripping down his brow. Carmelita seriously considered following his lips until he took what she was _oh_ so ready to give, "So, any idea what our hero Inspector Ci will be doing with her prize money?"

"Fertility treatment." Carmelita offered up instantly, eyes still locked on his lips and now the idea of fertility and motherhood rolling around in her haze filled mind. Sly shot her a look, blinking several times, obviously surprised, "Sorry, she's keeping it a secret. She and her husband have been trying to get pregnant for over a year. The money will go towards a procedure."

"Perfect." He said after a long moment and nodded several times, "A truly perfect ending to such a grotesque case." She smiled back and leaned against him, "I hear fertility treatment gets expensive. I'm sure the Spring Hearts clinic will be able to help her."

Carmelita froze, blood chilling. She slowly glanced at him and as their eyes met the full reckoning of what he had just said dawned on both of them. Sly quickly released her hand and stepped away.

"…how do you know wh-" Carmelita followed him, eyes narrowing.

"Oh look at the time." Sly glanced at his non-existent watch, suddenly looking very anxious "I should let you get home. You look tired."

"Don't try to change the subject, ringtail." Carmelita growled, eyes narrowing dangerously. Something wasn't right here. The fur on the back of her neck raised and she felt anger rising with it. Sly knew something. Something big.

"Too late for that, dear. I bid you goodnight. Enjoy your well-deserved rest." He turned from her. Absently she reached for her shock pistol but remembered she had left it in the armory nearly ten floors below. Instead she tried the only true avenue to get him to stop.

"Sly…" She whispered, adding as much emotion, respect, desire and acceptance as she could into that one word. The raccoon stopped dead and let out a heavy sigh. "Ci said she received an anonymous tip. Someone spotted a feline that looked an awful lot like Elizabeth Fontaine being dragged into an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city."

"Huh. None of the papers mentioned that." He refused to turn and look at her. Carmelita felt her heart beat faster as she took a step closer.

"She only told me after Tarantula's capture." She whispered and clenched her fists to stop from reaching out to him, "She said the man on the phone gave her perfect details; height, hair color, size, fur color, clothing, even the jewelry Ms. Fontaine was still wearing."

"Sounds like he had an eye for detail."

"He even said it looked like the factory's third story window by the fire-escape looked like it had been left unlocked." She locked her eyes on the back of his head, hoping she could burn her gaze into his skull. Sly stiffened and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"A _very_ good eye for detail." He managed.

"Sly." He stiffened even more and Carmelita was convinced he was going to jump any moment, "No random person has that attention to detail, and there is no way to just see if a window is unlocked from the outside."

"Apparently there is." He lied and it was painful to both of them.

"Don't play dumb." She practically growled. Her temper was starting to get the better of her. "You _knew_ Ci was my protégé."

"We _have_ crossed paths a few times my dear." Sly countered. Carmelita nodded. Ci's first week out Sly had stolen a priceless Japanese mask from the Louvre, and together Carmelita and Ci had almost managed to catch the master thief.

Ci had been lucky and skilled enough to land several hard and telling blows against Sly in a fist fight. Part of Carmelita had loved to see Sly take a few licks; another part had prayed his beautiful lips and smile hadn't been damaged. Sly had escaped, Ci had proudly earned her first black eye 'on the beat' and Carmelita herself learned a week later his lips were still _perfectly_ functional.

"You knew the clinic she was going to." Carmelita said from clenched teeth, "By. Name. You knew how much fertility treatment cost."

"All I said was-"

"You tracked Tarantula down, didn't you?" Carmelita snarled, "Found his hideout, unlocked the third story window and placed a call into Ci's office. Not the tip hotline, not emergency services." She slammed a hand into a palm with each point, cursing herself the fool for not seeing it earlier, "Directly to her office phone. You lead her directly to Tarantula and the biggest arrest of the year."

"And interesting theory, Inspector." Sly finally turned to face her. The look in his eyes pulled her up short. His eyes were glistening in the city lights and he smiled sadly, "I don't think it would be in anyone's best interest if you prove it…" He winked, "do you Inspector Fox?"

Carmelita stared at him for a long moment, waiting for him to leap off the building and into the night. Heartbeats went by and neither moved. Her mind was in turmoil. Chu Ci was so proud of her work, so confident and pleased in her ability to find the important details in Sly's tip and single-handedly take down the Tarantula.

But it had all been bait. All a set up…

They had all played into Sly's slippery hand.

Carmelita surged forward, taking Sly completely by surprise. The raccoon tried to back away but Carmelita got him by his trademark blue turtleneck and wrenched him closer. She glared at him, eyes alight with passion, anger and lust. With a growl she spun them and slammed Cooper into the wall of the staircase entrance. The thief let out a grunt and grimaced.

Before the raccoon could react Carmelita pressed her lips to his and took the back of his head in a vice grip, scraping at his scalp with desire. Cooper, still dazed, could only stand there dumbfounded for a few seconds before his brain shutdown completely. His hands drifted to her hips, pulling her closer. Carmelita forced her tongue into his mouth, relishing his taste and earning a bestial growl from him. He pinched her ass and she grinned against his lips.

After a moment Carmelita pulled away, but continued to peck and lick his face mercilessly.

"Thank you." She licked all the way up his cheek, "Thank you." She kissed all the way down the other side.

"Carme-" She silenced him with a long, deep kiss. His scent was overpowering her and her mind was growing hazy with each hammer of her heart. Carmelita managed, with the last of her will, to pull away and simply rest her forehead against his. They stared at one another with smoldering, hooded eyes, both straining at the leash to go at it like wild animals on Interpol's roof.

"Well don't stop on my account dear." Cooper breathed and Carmelita's mind went fuzzy again.

"We… _shouldn't_." She managed at length, "Not up here at least." She hastily added when Cooper narrowed his eyes. After a long moment he nodded slowly.

"Can't have your moans of pleasure carry down to the other officers, can we?" He leaned forward and whispered, "They might get jealous and want to join in."

"Dream on ringtail." She gripped his head tight and nibbled on his ear, "I don't share." She rested her head against his shoulder and breathed him in deep.

"You helped a dear friend of mine, Cooper; more than you'll ever know." She whispered. Cooper kissed her forehead.

They stayed like that for a long time, heat practically radiating from their fur in the cool night. Carmelita let herself get lost the feeling of being against him. Sly Cooper truly was a wonder. A thieving, law-breaking raccoon, but a wonder none the less.

It was Sly who regretfully broke the silence.

"As much as I enjoy our current position, I don't want you to risk getting caught with the likes of me up here. People will talk."

"Trust me, Cooper." Carmelita laughed, "They talk about us plenty already." She smiled sadly, "But I take your point." Slowly – too slowly – she let go of him and took a step back. "Back to the old grind then?"

She tried to keep the regret from her voice, but it ached at her that Cooper couldn't put his life of crime behind him and just be with her. Cooper smiled his charming smile and took her chin in his hand.

"For a little bit." He whispered and planted a chaste kiss on her lips, "it won't always be like this forever my dear."

"I'm not the most patient woman, ringtail." She challenged. He grinned back.

"I know." He said at length and darted over to edge of the building. He took one last glance back at her, "And I'm not the most patient raccoon either."

"That day…it'll come sooner than either of us expect." Carmelita said seriously.

"Yes, it will." Sly turned back to Paris, "Enjoy your weekend off Inspector Fox."

And with that Sly was gone, sliding down polls and jumping from rooftops. She followed him with her eyes as long as she could be after only a few seconds he had vanished into the darkness.

"I'll be seeing you real soon, ringtail."

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Ya or nay?

I purposefully left the identity of the Tarantula vague because I'm leaving it up to you. Also in a world with literal magic, time travel, giant daemon robot owls and such, I'm not sure where I literal giant arachnid would fall in terms of oddity. So I'll stick with the name and let you decide if it was just a nickname or an actual identity.

Also I'm using more of Carmeltia's Sly 2 attitude, where she wants to capture Cooper but knows there are other criminals out there, and she's a little too tired to chase him right now.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Until next time...


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